“Unnecessary,” Alexis protested.

“We’ll simply have to agree to disagree,” Galen countered, peeling off his jacket and unbuttoning his vest.

Every button undone sent a very real wave of dread through Alexis. Because when the vest was off, then the shirt would have to come off. And when the shirt came off, well, his pants were likely to follow, weren’t they? And if his pants came off…

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” she blurted as he pulled off the dark tie he’d been wearing, discarding it on the back of an ornate chair.

“You mean the loveseat.”

“I mean the flat surface upon which I can sleep,” she said, equal parts flustered and annoyed by how much Galen seemed to enjoy this, standing on opposite sides of his huge bed as they currently were.

“This,” Galen said, patting on the pulled back covers of his bed, looking oh so comfortable and inviting, “will be where you sleep, my gem. We are, after all, to be wed. Couldn’t have anyone doubting the sacred nature of our union.”

“I’ve known you for less than ten hours,” Alexis yelped, in turn with the vest being discarded and Galen’s nimble fingers moving quickly down the row of buttons on his white Oxford.

She couldn’t not stare. It was unfair. And he was reveling in it.

“And it is rare I find a woman to share a midday nap with. But here we are, soon to be married and destined to share a bed. How unfortunate for both of us.”

His tone held none of the hint that his words did. In fact, he sounded pretty damn pleased.

“I thought you had your ‘watch’,” Alexis tried, running out of arguments, and air, because the tops of Galen’s abs were exposed now and it was hard breathing and trying to keep from hyperventilating at the same time.

“Grear graciously extended his to allow me time with you. I think he’s hoping to catch me in a lie. All the more reason why we shouldn’t allow that to happen.”

“I’m not that tired.” It was the last vestige of defiance she had.

When Galen shrugged off his shirt, Alexis had to deal with more than the problem of her sleeping arrangement.

Her fiancé, correction, her fake fiancé was smoking hot. Literally. She thought she spied a slight sliver of a plume of smoke wafting up from his nostrils as Galen kept his gaze on her while continuing to undress.

“Yes, you are,” he said as the belt came undone, goosebumps prickling on Alexis’ skin from the sound of the metal buckle clinking.

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

The look he gave her told her that he’d prefer that to stay that way.

“Behind you. Take a shirt.”

Alexis whirled around, thankful for the reprieve, though her ears still caught the subtle sound of pants being removed and neatly folded. She found a t-shirt (surprised that he wore those at all) the color of his eyes and rushed to the bathroom, wiggling out of the dress and pulling the shirt on.

“You can do this. All an act. It’s fine,” she chanted to herself, looking nervously at her reflection in the mirror.

When she made it back to the bedroom, Galen was already waiting for her in the bed, the curtains drawn on the gigantic windows. It might have been bright, sunny midday outside, but it was dark as the night in the bedroom, with the exception of Galen’s slightly glowing eyes.

“I won’t bite. Unless you ask me to,” he said, making it no easier to crawl under the covers with him, but no harder either.

“You’re deriving too much pleasure out of this,” she huffed, her back turned to him.

Without warning, Galen’s arm curled around her and pulled her, gently but firmly as was his MO, against his chest. She gasped, feeling a very obvious thickness against her asscheek even as Galen’s arm still flexed around her, boxing her in.

Not that she really wanted to go anywhere.

This was insane… but also insanely hot.

“Is this a part of keeping up appearances?” she asked, voice shaky.

“It can be,” he murmured back, his hot breath on her neck, making the goosebumps reappear. “It doesn’t have to be.”

His hold on her slackened and Alexis knew that if she asked him to leave her be, he’d do so. She wasn’t sure what about this man made her so certain that at the bottom of his heart, he was good and honest, but she simply knew. Along with everything else about him… well, he was a difficult man to say no to, which was something she’d already come to know.

Instead of wiggling away from him as she thought she should, she found herself leaning into him, loving the hot breath on her neck and the feeling of his strong body against her lush curves. Every alarm bell in her head was going off, telling her that she was being rash, rushing into something she might not be ready for. At the same time, her body and her mind seemed to also vehemently agree that she needed this. She needed him, right there, in that instance.

It’s nothing serious. Just a little… distraction?

It was hard to even think over the heartbeat pounding in her chest as she felt his hot lips against her skin suddenly, kissing a light, fluttery trail up the side of her neck and to her ear. He brushed aside her long hair and nibbled on her earlobe, making Alexis’ breath hitch. When Galen sucked on her skin, shivers ran down her spine, making her twitch against him, only for Galen’s hold on her to tighten.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, voice huskier, smokier than usual.

Alexis thought she almost felt his touch burn in that moment, and she couldn’t help but want more.

“No,” she sighed, twisting in his arms to face him, loathe to lose his touch on her neck and ear, but eager to taste his lips.

“Good,” he growled in response. “Because I don’t want to stop touching you, Alexis.”

“Claiming your bride so soon?” Alexis teased, noting the stutter in her voice when she said it.

This was all supposed to be a charade, a game of smoke and mirrors… so why did it suddenly feel like it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to be Galen Calder’s bride and wife?

“I like to take what is mine, yes,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose with the kind of gentleness Alexis could have hardly attributed to a dragon, before meeting one, of course.

“You’re saying I’m yours then.”

“You are,” Galen said, knocking the last of Alexis’ worldview out of place.

She’d barely met him hours ago. He knew nothing about her, except for the fact that she was related to a man his family loathed, and she knew nothing about him, except for what the tabloids wrote. Yet when he told her she was his, she believed him… and left the rationalizing and the arguing with herself for later, because in that moment, the only thing that truly mattered was how Galen’s lips tasted.

Their eyes locked for seconds that seemed to drift into eternity, Alexis gleefully sinking into those swirling golden pools that seemed to blaze for her, before he broke their contact only to exchange it for something far more delicious and personal. His lips brushed over hers, gently at first, but when her mouth opened to greet his, Galen’s tongue snaked between her lips hungrily and the coaxing, probing nature of the kiss changed on a dime.

Rolled on her back, she felt Galen’s weight pin her down, his arms on either side of her body. His lips never left hers as Alexis’ hands roamed down his shirtless torso, whimpering to herself as she felt the strong, chiseled lines of his muscles. Her fingertips painted a perfect picture of him in her head, giving her all she needed to know, and she was so ready to complete the map of his body in her head.

Her thumbs grazed across the tops of his abs gently, smiling to herself as his muscles tensed under her touch, his hips digging into hers a little harder. She gasped as he nipped at her lower lip, sucking on it in the next moment and drawing a moan out of her. Her back arched against him as if of its own volition, her mind happily giving all control over to her body and her need for this man who had staked claim on her so easily.

She didn’t want to fight it. She didn’t want to fight him. At least not for this one time.

His tongue slid into her mouth again and twisted against hers in a violent dance, hinting at what was to come. Her hands gripped his hips, pawing at them, fingertips skirting under the hem of his boxers. His thick erection rubbed against her sex as she spread her thighs for him, letting him settle between them. Her pussy pulsed with anticipation, needy for more.

“Greedy, aren’t you?” he teased, pulling back only enough to break the kiss.

Alexis looked up at him, his eyes pure gold now, feral and imposing, but at the same time promising nothing but safety to her.

“I don’t think I’m the greedy one here,” she said in response, biting her lip slightly and loving the way his eyes tracked that motion, as if he wanted to know all of her just as badly as she wanted to know all of him.

“Are you accusing me of something, my bride?” he asked, cocking a brow as he ran a hand down her chest and over her stomach, making Alexis struggle to focus on his words instead of focusing all of herself on his touch.

When he got dangerously close to her pussy, another involuntary whimper left her lips, her hips bucking up to meet his touch.

“I thought all dragons were greedy. Wanting what they couldn’t have.”

“Oh, my sweet thing. I always get what I want,” Galen promised, sliding his fingers down the front of her panties, through the trimmed, short hairs until sinking into the wet heat.

She didn’t have anything to say to that. Her brows knitted and her nails dug into the skin on his back as his fingers glided over her clit and then spread her pussy lips. A blush bloomed on her cheeks, realizing how wet she was for him, but Galen didn’t give her time for embarrassment.

His lips found her again, savage, demanding, and she kissed him back with equal fervor. He slipped a finger into her and Alexis whined into his mouth, feeling him work the digit in and out before adding another. Her muscles clenched as he pumped two fingers in and out of her and when his thumb went to her clit, she was so close to losing her mind that she felt like she was hanging on by a thread.

Her body moved with his rhythm, kissing him when he let her, whimpering and moaning for him when he thrust his fingers into her and shuddering when he flicked his thumb over the sensitive nub of her clit.

“Please,” she moaned when she thought she couldn’t take any more of it, one hand traveling down his body and carefully running over the huge bulge in his boxers.

“Please, what?” Galen asked, that taunting tone made weaker by the obvious strain of self-control that Alexis could hear in his voice now.

“I want to see all of you,” she said, feeling like she was a blushing virgin again, during her first time with a man.

Truthfully, there hadn’t been anyone since Joshua, and he was a distant memory that she’d rather not remember. She’d certainly never felt anything akin to what she felt with Galen now, the kind of heat and excitement that seemed to rattle her body was wholly unknown to her.

Galen kissed her again and their lips seemed to resist leaving each other, Alexis’ shoulders rising from the bed slightly as he pulled away. Galen pushed himself back and off the bed, letting her look at him, standing at his full height. When he pushed the boxers down, Alexis only had eyes for one thing.

The dragon was larger than life, in all the ways that mattered.

She’d gotten a hint of it, of course, but thinking she knew and seeing him, hard, throbbing, ready for her, was a whole other matter. He was… gorgeous. All of him.

“Take your clothes off,” he commanded, golden eyes glowing in the dim light.

Alexis took off the shirt and panties quickly, opting to not give herself time to second-guess or feel any kind of modesty at this point. She wanted this. Even if it would just be one time, and even if their plan was insane, she wanted this experience with this man, the one person who had made her feel truly excited for something since she discovered her calling as an archaeologist.

“Spread your legs for me,” Galen said, his gaze absolutely scorching as he took in her heavy curves, her tan lines, her breasts, flushed cheeks and messed up hair.

She did as she was told, angling herself so he could see how ready she was for him. With a growl, Galen practically leapt back on the bed. He wasted no time, claiming her mouth and guiding the head of his thick cock to her opening. When his throbbing head pushed against her slit, Alexis tensed, her nails digging into his arms.

“I would never hurt you,” he told her.

“What if I want you to?”

Galen snarled into the kiss that followed and when he bucked his hips forward, Alexis sunk into the bed with a scream only muffled by his mouth. He felt heavenly, his huge cock spreading her thin as he entered her, giving her that combination of pleasure and pain she practically begged for. He pulled back slightly, lips and tongue never leaving hers, and thrust in again, this time going deeper, claiming her more fully.

Alexis clung to him, any hope of rational thought or sensible sentences forgotten as he claimed her body for real now, just like he’d promised her he would. A couple more punishing pumps had him seated in her completely and Alexis felt a hot and cold pulse run throughout her whole body, filled tighter than she ever had before.

“Oh my god,” she whimpered, swallowing dryly when Galen kissed her chin and neck, his teeth grazing against delicate skin.

“Just a dragon, my gem,” Galen reminded with a dark chuckle, thrusting into her again.

In a moment, Alexis found herself rolled over, on top of him now. She cried out when she sunk down on him deeper, though she’d thought that wouldn’t even be possible. His cock seemed to be perfect for her, like they were meant to be together.

One of his hands went to knead and tease her tits while his free thumb moved to run circles around her clit, swollen and aching as it was.

“Ride me,” he told her, but her hips were already moving, desperate to keep this moment going, to build to that high she knew was coming.

Her eyes locked with his as she settled into a rhythm, slower, calmer than what he had proposed, but just as delicious. Her nipples ached as he touched them, pinching them and cupping her tits. The goosebumps on her skin seemed to be there to stay as she rode him, pumping herself up and down on his massive cock.

His face twisted in grimaces of pleasure and when she rolled her hips in a figure eight pattern, she couldn’t help but smile as he tossed his head back, every muscle in his body tensing.

“Spirits above, Alexis,” he groaned, his hand moving from her tits to her hip, taking control of the rhythm again, as much as she let him.

“Yes?” she asked teasingly, though it was little more than an act.

Her very blood seemed to be on fire, boiling in her veins as she yearned for her release. She’d never felt anything as intense, as heavenly, as impossible as this, and she wanted more. As if reading her mind, Galen sat up, making her straddle him closer. He kissed her again, grinding his hips up toward her as she came down on him, both of them quickly losing what little control they had.

Her skin beaded with sweat and Galen seemed to be steaming, thin streams of smoke rising from his nostrils. Her arms looped behind his neck and his skin was hot to the touch, but he didn’t burn her.

“You’re perfect,” he said through gritted teeth, to which Alexis couldn’t give any response but press herself against him tighter.

He grabbed her ass with both hands and she screamed out as he bucked into her violently, filling her fully each time and pushing her so far that the head almost came out of her pussy. Every thrust was absolute heaven and when his lips locked around one nipple and he sucked on it, Alexis couldn’t take it anymore.

With a scream, nails raking down his back, she gave in. The hot pulses of her orgasm rolled over her and her body clenched down, milking Galen’s cock. She could feel him growl and grunt against him as he gave her the pleasure she’d yearned for and when he pumped into her, spilling his thick seed, Alexis felt complete bliss.

She clung to him as she unraveled in her orgasm, falling to pieces in his strong, protective arms. She felt his load in her pussy and though she knew she should be worried, that she shouldn’t be so reckless, she couldn’t bring herself to care. Only to hold onto him.

Galen collapsed back on the sheets, his arms tight around her, pulling her to his chest. Both of them breathed hard and his heartbeat was loud and strong in her ears as her head rested in the crook of his neck.

“I might never let you out of this bedroom, wife-to-be,” Galen said finally.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, the slightest of alarm bells started ringing again.

What have I done?